What does really bother students during their stay in Petrozavodsk?

When you are going on trip, as usual, you try to find out all the necessary information about the city of your destination. But anyway when you arrive you can face with some issues that you were not preparing for. Especially, when you are not a tourist, but a student of “Enjoy Russian” language school and therefore a real local in Petrozavodsk! And when you find yourself in another country surrounded by people with a different mentality you want to know how to manage with your everyday little challenges in a correct way. By the way, even in different Russian cities there are different ways to pay for the public transport. Thus why we set up a new section with the answers to the most frequently asked questions to the program coordinator of the school.

Money, money, money must be funny 🙂

Which currency should I bring with me? Is it a big problem to change another currency into rubles? Can I pay with a credit card? Do cafes, hotels and etc. accept only rubles?

The official and the only payment currency in Russian is the Russian ruble. If you bring to Petrozavodsk cash in euros and dollars you will not face with any problems, you will be able to change it into rubles in every bank. You will never meet street money changers, the black market foreign exchange doesn’t exist. Moreover, there is no need to waste your time and look for a bank with the best rate, as you wont find a big difference in the end. Currency exchange rates in all banks are probably the same as of The Central Bank of the Russian Federation. As I said, you wont face any problems if you bring with euros or dollars, so if it necessary – change your local currency into it in advance. If you don’t like cash (if you feel that you are most likely to lose money or to spend every last penny) you can also use for payment in Petrozavodsk your debit/credit card almost anywhere, except public transport or if you appear to be somewhere in a remote Russian village. Another important thing to keep in mind that your bank may have a cash withdrawal limit, for example, 7000 rubles/per day. So, if one day you decide to buy something expensive, you would have to withdraw cash in the ATM part by part.

How to act in a bank?

So, now you know that you better to bring with yourself dollars rather than yauns. But you still may have some questions… Should I change money in a exchange office or there is special ATM? Do I need my documents? And what if my Russian is not good enough if I want to ask “Is this the end of the queue?”

But indeed there is nothing to be worry about, because all the survival tips you will her on the first day at the School. Our cheerful volunteers will accompany you to the bank and will support you.

Hope, you don’t have any questions considering currency and money! Join our courses, follow our news and prepare for a full Russian emergency with “Enjoy Russian” language School!